


Escape

by darkesky



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Grieving, Literal Sleeping Together, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-28 09:56:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkesky/pseuds/darkesky
Summary: Severa fled to the first place she thought of. She ran around the castle until she reached the wing belonging to the royal family. Curling her fingers on the window sill, she kicked her feet against the walls of the house and flung herself through the opening. She hit the floor of the bathroom. Most importantly, though, she hit the floor where there were loose tiles.It wasn’t the best way to do it. It wasn’t her favorite way to do it. Severa meant every word, though, when she told her parents she’d never return. She pulled her pigtail as taut as possible, and she attacked at a clean angle. This was the only piece of her father she ever had inside her.---Severa deals with her emotions by running away, and somehow she ropes Inigo and Owain into it.





	Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so brief rundown of all the parent ships that are somewhat needed:  
> \- Robin x Olivia = Inigo + Morgan  
> \- Chrom x Sumia = Lucina + Cynthia  
> \- Lissa x Gaius = Owain  
> \- Maribelle x Donnel = Brady

Chrom was dead, so the sky started falling down.

Severa sat on the bench overlooking the training yard, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest. Some of the Shepherds and the royal army gathered there to head off to a battle she  _ knew  _ they couldn’t win. The man- No. Severa refused to think of him as a man still after what he did, according to  _ all  _ the other soldiers on the battlefield. The  _ thing  _ which killed Chrom... It would be able to take out the entire world before anyone could take it down.

However, all the Shepherds riding off to battle this time around didn’t have  _ children.  _ It was people like Henry, who had both of Nah’s parents begging for him to stay. It was people like Virion, who kept fighting with Cherche over whether she should accompany him. It was people who had deep bonds and connections, but none of them had  _ children who depended on them. _

So why the hell were her parents among the troops?

Well, Severa wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly why her parents marched to rage war on an enemy they weren’t entirely sure of. She knew exactly why she’d soon be an orphan.

Chrom was dead.

Severa squared her shoulders and convinced herself to go up to her mother. She placed her hand on the flank of the pegasus, and she waited for her mother to turn to her. And she waited. And she  _ waited. _

“Mom,” she snapped after awhile.

Cordelia already bound several bags to the pegasus. Each looked to weigh thousands of pounds, and Severa wanted to take them and chuck them into the river. Then, her mother wouldn’t be able to leave. She glanced over, somewhat absently, while her hands still played with the straps. “I have to ride off to battle.”

“Why do you? Sumia isn’t!” And Sumia, while clumsy and immature, was skilled as well. Everyone knew the combination of the two proved lethal in most combats. However, Sumia insisted she needed to stay with her children. After all, she was a widow and the regent to the queen. Lucina and Cynthia missed their father more than anything else, and Sumia wanted to be a good  _ mother. _

Cordelia was perfect at many things, but caring about Severa? She certainly hadn’t learned how to do that yet.

She smiled at Severa. Finally, she pulled her attention away from the bags and placed her hand on hers. “We go to war for the people we love.”

Severa yanked her hand free. “We  _ stay  _ for the people we love!”

If she went to war for Severa, Cordelia would come back changed… And she’d arrive to find Severa changed. Severa, raised by someone else in her mother’s stead. Severa, bitter her mother left and bitter to be constantly compared to a shadow. How does someone overcome perfection?

“I have a duty to my prince,” Frederick said, interrupting her conversation with her mother. Her head snapped to his, and her jaw dropped open.

The words burst out, unwanted. “You have a duty to  _ me.  _ I’m your daughter, and  _ hello!  _ I’m breathing!”

Severa could tell it was the worst thing she could have said… And she could also tell she never could have said something else. Frederick was loyal to Chrom, and Cordelia was in love with Chrom. When did she become the number one priority to her parents? Hell knows they weren’t even on the  _ map  _ for Chrom anymore. Chrom cared most about his family, and his family kept  _ growing.  _ She wouldn’t be shocked if, one day, they shoved her into a marriage with Owain just to become a part of the lineage.

“I have a duty to my country,” said Frederick. He didn’t even look at her. He rode off to his death, and he couldn’t even look Severa in the eye.

Severa stared at the two of them, eyes jumping back and forth. She was their  _ flesh and blood.  _ She was made of their love and their commitment. From the tips of her brown hair to the facial structure of her mom, she belonged to them and nobody else. So why… Why did a truth hide in the golden band on their fingers? Why did their marriage bed possess lies she couldn’t dare talk about?

She always crossed lines, long after she frustrated her parents past words. She didn’t possess this happy childhood the others did. “Love me more than a dead man!”

“What?” Cordelia’s voice sharpened, a finely-honed blade ready to strike. She whirled on her heel to face her daughter, and she stood up straight. With the way the universe worked, it was fitting Cordelia towered over her and cast this blackness over her. 

Her voice grew higher and higher, and her desperation swept lower and lower. “I’m your  _ daughter.  _ What can you… What can his corpse offer you that I can’t?”

“This isn’t about Chrom,” she snapped.

Severa looked her in the eye, ignoring the way she had to crane her head back. Her pigtails brushed over her shoulders and fell down her back, and she wanted to hack it all off. It was a gift from a father who couldn’t  _ look at her.  _ “Then love me more than him. Love me enough to stay.”

And the words hung in the air, bait in a trap. Both of her parents knew it too. She waited for one of them to say anything. She waited for a grand gesture from one of them. She waited for Frederick to toss down his bags and pull her close to him or Cordelia to pack away her lance and capture her in a hug. 

Frederick cleared his throat, his tone leaving no room for questions. “We have to go.”

“If you go,” she said with her voice wavering, “then I won’t be here when you get back.”

“Don’t say stuff like that,” her mother chided. 

Severa stepped back from them, and energy sang in her ears. Her eyes darted to the one escape in the training yard. “I’ll leave forever. So, stay.”

This time, though, she wasn’t willing to spend eternity. When both of them hesitated, Severa spun on her heel and raced away. She moved swifter than she ever thought she could. Her feet pounded out a song on the pavement and brought her to a new home. All the while, the blood roared within her ears. 

She didn’t hear her mother shout  _ ‘I love you’  _ on the wind, but Severa doubted she did so. It wouldn’t be  _ proper. _

-

Severa fled to the first place she thought of. She ran around the castle until she reached the wing belonging to the royal family. Curling her fingers on the window sill, she kicked her feet against the walls of the house and flung herself through the opening. She hit the floor of the bathroom, between the washing pot and the chamber pot. Most importantly, though, she hit the floor where there were loose tiles. 

She wiggled it free and tossed them aside. It was odd they didn’t crack with the force she cast them aside. Then, leaning over the hole, Severa gripped the hilt of the sword and dragged it free of the dirt. Thank Naga Owain was more dramatic than he was sensible. 

It wasn’t the best way to do it. It wasn’t her  _ favorite  _ way to do it. Severa meant every word, though, when she told her parents she’d never return. She pulled her pigtail as taut as possible, and she attacked at a clean angle. This was the only piece of her father she ever had inside her. 

By the time Owain entered, she sat in a sea of her own brown hair, curled around her. She found a hand mirror near the window and made sure all of the cuts were equal. Now, her brown hair hung around her chin in a loose bob. Owain’s mouth dropped, and she offered a half wave.

Then, she scowled. “Are you just going to stare? What? Does it really look that bad?”

“Uh, no!” stammered Owain, obviously uncomfortable. His eyes drifted to the chamber pot, and he let out a soft huff. “I just… I came in here to pee, and… I really wish there is any better way to do this.”

“Ew. That’s way too much detail.” Severa pushed to her feet and slugged him on the arm on her way out. The next step, she imagined, was changing up her clothing. It wasn’t like she could ask Owain for that. All of his clothing would be painfully masculine and incredibly  _ gross.  _ However, there was one more thing she could take from him.

Owain snagged her arm, preventing her from being able to walk away. “Are you taking my  _ sword?” _

“I can’t train with my parents any longer. Go piss. I’ll still be here to talk when you get out.” Severa shook off his grip, and she sat cross-legged on his bed. Glancing around the room, she tried to find something to do while one of her closest friends was too  _ busy  _ for her. What secrets did Owain hide? Inigo kept spreading this rumor he kept some sort of secret diary underneath his pillow…

She grabbed the pillow, ready to pick it up, and froze. There were some damp spots, and suddenly, Severa thought about the way Owain’s voice had wavered ever so slightly. She thought it was because he was nervous to find a girl in his bathroom…  _ Like a coward,  _ she silently added. Maybe…

The second Owain stepped out of the bathroom, she chucked the pillow at his face. “Have you been  _ crying?” _

“What? No! I’m a hero of legends, and heroes do not shed tears. They are the ones who force the tears upon their fallen enemies as they carve a path of bloodlust to make a better world!” Owain blustered. 

Staring into his red eyes, she raised an eyebrow. “Your uncle’s dead.”

“I… Death is but another journey on the path of a hero! It will never be a true ending as Uncle Chrom shall continue guiding and watching us from the spirit realm!” Something shone in Owain’s eyes, feeding into the fantasy he constructed with his words. She wanted to reach over and shake him until he started talking like a normal human being again. The ‘Justice Cabal’ or whatever spoke like that when they  _ played.  _ They weren’t playing right now. 

“My parents just rode out to find his killer,  _ just so you know.  _ Abandoning me, y’know, but not Chrom! Nope! Chrom will soon have two new people on his side, and I will continue to have zero. Because why stick with boring old Severa when you could go have fun with the exalt of Ylisse!” 

Owain’s face faltered for a second. “Cordelia and Frederick… They’re gone.”

“They’re gone, just like Chrom-”

“They’re not dead.” Owain suddenly sat down next to her, eyes starting to water. Severa doesn’t know what compelled her to pull him closer. The second Owain connected with her, her own tears started spilling out. They sat there, holding each other while they sobbed, until the sun started to set. Between tears, they spoke about pasts with all three of them. Owain pried more about Chrom, little details from the excessive stories both of her parents insisted on sharing over dinner. And Severa heard more about the two from the perspective of someone who  _ didn’t  _ live in their shadow.

Severa pushed him away when she realized they had to light a candle. “I can’t stay with you. Your mother would turn me in.”

“What? No! My mom-”

“Totally would rat me out. She’s a snitch.” And if Severa let someone turn her in, she’d go back to being the child waiting for her parents. Severa would wait at every meal, wondering if they’d return. Severa would rather be  _ pleasantly surprised  _ when they returned alive rather than devastated if any other fate happened. So, she needed to be someone different, someone  _ easier  _ to be. Someone who didn’t have parents off at war, or someone who didn’t have friends with  _ dead  _ parents.

Owain hesitated. “All heroes have a tragic origin story. But the villains possess the same dastardly beginnings. If you set out alone, I fear you shall stay alone for the rest of your days. You deserve a better fate than a lone rider.”

“I could have anyone I want,” Severa snapped. 

Shaking his head slightly, he stared at her with those big, puppy-dog eyes. “But who will you want?”

“I will be  _ fine.”  _ Severa started back towards the window, one hand gripped tightly about the hilt of a sword. She’d fling herself out, and she would start out elsewhere. Maybe she’d venture to Nah’s house. Or maybe she’d just find a hotel and stay there for a long time. Did she need to make plans yet?

Owain suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand. “Then I shall accompany you.”

“I don’t need a  _ bodyguard-” _

“I do!” Owain fluttered his hands about, trying to find something to say. He stammered out something nonsensical for a few seconds before quickly recovering. “I am utterly hopeless. If I went out on my own, I’d get stabbed or something. So,  _ dear Severa,  _ will you protect me from my inevitable death?”

She stared at him for a few seconds before grumbling. “Fine. Let’s go.”

-

Moments after sneaking out the window, they heard the sound of sobs on the wind. Both of them froze against the wall of the castle, and they locked eyes. Instantly, a silent debate broke out between them. Severa had  _ no intention  _ to ever go find whoever sobbed. It’d hinder their escape, their running away. Owain always wanted to do the right thing and be a  _ noble hero.  _ It was irritating as hell.

Then, he shrugged slightly and suddenly sprinted in the direction of the crying.

Severa stood against the wall, and she debated. This could be her chance to free herself of his presence. This could be her chance to guarantee she’d be successful. If Owain kept charging off with the desire to be some kind of white knight, he’d never let them get anywhere. But… He had a convincing point. If she left alone, there’d be nothing to persuade her back home, and there’d be no ties of home. 

Gawds, she hated him. 

Following Owain, she ended up in the garden. Nobody visited it in a long time, mostly due to the unnecessary nature of it. The garden made things beautiful, but it didn’t yield any sort of weapon or help them turn the tides in a war. Since their  _ exalt just died,  _ nobody really felt like grooming flowers. In a way, Severa kicked herself for not thinking about this as a proper hiding spot.

Hidden near the rosebush, she found Owain and Inigo. In Inigo’s shaking hands, he held a sword with names carved into it. All the carvings utterly crippled the swords and rendered it a useless piece of metal. The longer she looked at it, though, the more she recognized it. She… She knew that ornate handle, and she knew that blade. 

“That’s your father’s blade,” she said at last. She stepped closer, and she managed to see some of the names.  _ ‘Traitor. Bastard. Liar.’  _ They read better than any diary, and the tears streaked on his cheeks revealed the final key to the story. 

Inigo stared at her before forcing a smile. “That haircut looks  _ ravishing  _ on you.”

“Oh, shut up.” For some unknown reason, Severa crouched down in front of the two boys and grabbed the sword. She tilted it to further examine the dirty words scrawled in the metal. “You naming your sword  _ ‘Killer’ _ ?”

“You shouldn’t worry about such things,” Inigo started to say before hesitating when she sent him a harsh look. 

Owain cleared his throat. “Wasn’t that a gift to you from Rob- from  _ him?” _

Inigo started laughing the moment he heard the hesitation. He buried his face in his hands for a few seconds, and Severa got a feeling the laughing turned to sobbing. She sent a hopeless look in Owain’s direction, and Owain offered a steadfast nod.

Then, he clapped a hand on their friend’s shoulder. “It matters not! No man is bound to his ancestors! All must choose their own paths-”

“Kids keep throwing rocks at Morgan.” 

Owain’s conversation grinded to a stop, and Inigo looked at both of them. She never remembered him looking so serious in his life. Severa remembered him when he was shy, and she remembered him when he was a bold flirt, but he was never this solemn figure. The world burned around him, and he cracked jokes and forced a huge smile. 

So, being the tactful friend she’s always been, Severa shrugged. “Your sister is a little bitch sometimes.”

“They do it because they think she’ll kill someone. Or Mom will. Or I will. Because our father killed Chrom, and Chrom was his  _ closest friend.  _ So the murdering gene must run in the family, right? We’ll be kicked out of the castle soon.” Inigo sighed. “Morgan’s going insane. She keeps  _ defending  _ him. And how do you defend a murderer?”

“Inigo-”

“But how do you let your father’s name get dragged in the mud? He  _ was  _ a good person. I don’t… I don’t get what happened.” Inigo utterly deflated.

Owain gave her a wide-eyed stare before bursting out in a louder voice than he needed. “It sounds like you need a purpose to redirect your life, my dear friend! Join Severa and I on a quest to solve our life’s worries. After this, we shall never worry about the cost of life again!”

“You’re… Running away?” Inigo always got to the point fast.

Severa could get there faster. “It’s not running away if you don’t have a home. My parents are off on a suicide mission to kill your dad. That’s the level of fuckery our lives have reached. So… C’mon. Let’s leave this shit behind.”

For a second, she really thought Inigo would protest. He stared down at the decimated remains of the sword gently resting in his hands. Then, he turned his head slightly and took in both of their appearances. Both of them frantically threw together small bags, and both donned cloaks and sheaths for their swords, but they didn’t really bring any of the other essentials. 

Then, Inigo smiled. “Looks like I’m ready to join the party.”

He shoved the sword into the mess of flora, and it disappeared from eyeshot. Someone would have to seek it out now. Then, Inigo grabbed his cloak and pulled the hood up. On his hip, a sheath holding a new sword already sat.

Severa gave it a strange look. “Planning on killing two swords tonight?”

“If I returned without a sword, Mom would have been devastated. I…” Inigo hesitated for a split second.

Owain clapped a hand on his shoulder. “It is for the betterment of ourselves! If we return, we shall be full bred warriors, fit for the battlefield. Our parents will never fret for our safety ever again!”

“When you phrase it like that, how could I refuse?” Inigo said after a long second.

Owain sidled between them, and he threw his arms around both of their shoulders. “Then, listen to the sound of adventure calling us near!”

-

They travelled on the road from Ylisse for a little bit, stopping in the main town to purchase a hotel room. While Owain and Severa wanted to journey farther, Inigo ultimately acted as the voice of reason. If they walked in the dark, it would be more likely to get attacked by the Risen. The last thing they wanted was to get killed on the first day of running away. It wouldn’t even give them a chance to find a new home for a little bit.

They sent Inigo in to buy the room, and he held Owain’s coin purse. Owain’s father certainly taught him the basics of thievery. Owain, after giving Inigo some specific instructions, guaranteed they wouldn’t be stolen from that night… Not when he was looking out for their wellbeing. The only reason they sent Inigo in rather than the two of them was due to the deep baritone his voice had started developing. He  _ did  _ have around a year on Owain, and Severa knew she still looked girlish.

With their hoods up, they ventured up the stairs to the one room they’d share. The second they opened the door, Severa growled. “You got  _ one bed  _ for the three of us?”

“I don’t want to spend all of our money on the first night!” protested Inigo. “I’ll sleep on the floor. It’ll be fine!”

“Don’t worry, friends! No sex shall occur!” Owain declared, ushering both of them in the door. Both of them blushed at the shameless way he stated it, but what could they do? He closed the door behind him and looked at them, eyes shining with a manic light she didn’t quite recognize. “Do you know what we require more than sex?”

“Nothing. It’s sex.” Severa rolled her eyes and plopped down on the center of the bed. She didn’t even have to ask. Inigo sat down at the foot and gently wiggled her feet out of the boots. It felt familiar as if he frequently did this for Morgan. The second the idea crossed her mind, Severa wrinkled her nose and looked up at the ceiling. She doubted Inigo wanted to talk about his sister. Even thinking about her felt like a betrayal of her friend.

Owain flung himself down on the bed, shaking his head vigorously. In a way, he looked like a dog trying to shake the water droplets out of his fur. She stifled her laughter at the thought and nodded for him to get to the point. “We need new identities! Ours, including our names, will not suffice anymore.”

“The prince, the traitor’s son, and the genius’s daughter… We  _ do  _ make an odd trio,” mused Inigo. Severa went to snap at him for the comment about her mother before realizing the melancholy settling between his words. She will give it to him,  _ just for tonight.  _ Because he had been constantly compared to his parent, but while she couldn’t measure up to her mother’s greatness, he had to escape his father’s wickedness.

Snapping, Owain pointed at Inigo. “See! You get it! Let’s see… I shall be Eudes, you shall be Azur, and Severa will be Serena.”

“You’ve been thinking about this.” Severa didn’t mean her voice to come off so accusatory, but Owain shrugged and smiled brightly. She hummed and thought about the identity she’d want to assume. No… Whoever ‘Serena’ was? She could wait until the boys announced their new fates.

Naturally, Owain went first. He pounded a fist over his heart. “Eudes was raised as a thief-”

“Way to break away from your parents,” drawled Severa.

He gave her a dirty look. “Before I was  _ interrupted,  _ I was saying that Eudes was always a thief… And he intends to keep the course of darkness. He cannot frequent the same place as then he’d be identified as the newest cat burglar in town. So, he floats about to haunt the newest rich people. He does not discriminate amongst them… Whether they are rich by evil ways or pure methods. Eudes simply steals to get the thrill, the  _ rush  _ of doing something to someone he shouldn’t.”

“That was a show-stopper,” Inigo deadpanned.

Owain reached up, grabbed the pillow from underneath Severa, and smacked him full-force. Inigo let out a quiet  _ ‘oof’  _ before trying to wrestle it free. Owain scurried closer to Severa and held the pillow protectively over his chest like a shield. “One of you must write a tale for yourselves! Everyone holds a story close to their heart, allowing it to define them and all their choices they make throughout life.”

“Serena’s parents were hopelessly doting,” Severa started, hesitant. Owain made a hand gesture, urging her to go on, while Inigo perked, intrigued by her actually playing along. “They were actually suffocating with their love. So, she decided to leave to find out who she was without their love… This is shit. I’m not creative.”

“I love it,” Owain said immediately. 

Inigo gave her a thumbs up. “I’m glad I chase not just a beautiful girl, but a beautiful mind as well.”

“First of all, shut the hell up. I swear to Naga, if you keep flirting with me, I will murder you. Second of all, you have to go now.” She smiled smugly, and Inigo gave her a look of utter betrayal. Unsurprisingly, Owain leapt on it instantly and prodded him until he started speaking.

Inigo inhaled, long and laboring. “Azur was raised by a single mother, unconcerned by war. She taught him how to dance, and I…  _ He  _ really enjoyed doing it. However, while she has great stage presence, Azur could barely squeak along. So, he set up with his good friends Eudes and Serena to learn a new dance style… One uniquely his.”

Somehow, Severa would have felt less naked if they  _ actually  _ had sex.

-

She woke up to a strangled scream. Immediately, Severa flipped on her side to try and find who made the noise which stirred her from a rather  _ pleasant  _ dream. She almost started shouting at them before she noticed the fragile look written across Owain’s face. So, she aborted halfway through. “What the  _ fuck…  _ Are you okay?”

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered. He glanced over to where Inigo first laid down. At some point, Inigo must have gotten up and decided to sit on the desk and write something on the provided parchment. That, or he never truly went to sleep which made sense considering they all knew he was the biggest night owl.

Severa looked between her two boys, debating which one to insult first. Ultimately, she chose Inigo. Owain looked utterly  _ spent,  _ and she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to know nightmares plagued him. “What’s so important that you need to write it down? Right now? And waste our only candle?”

“It’s, uh, nothing.” Inigo folded up the paper and shoved it into his cloak’s pocket. The look he fixed her was enough to get her to shut up. She’d have to pry about it later. He yawned and got to his feet, bracing himself on the back of the chair to prevent from swaying. “What happened, Owain?”

“I just… Nothing.” Straightening from his makeshift bed, Owain sat up straight and wrapped his arms around his knees. As Severa studied him, she couldn’t help but see the breaking cracks in his mystique. His brown eyes shone, tears silently collecting in his eyelashes. His whole body shook with fine tremors. 

She ended up looking to Inigo. He was the one who had a younger sibling. While, out of the two of them, Inigo was certainly  _ weepier,  _ Morgan must have had a nightmare at some point. He just blinked sluggishly and shook his head somewhat. He went over and wrapped his arms around Owain, who still offered no clue to what the nightmare showed him… Whatever horrors passed from the daylight into night.

With a scowl fiercely ingrained on her face, she slammed her hand against the bed. Both of them jumped, and Owain practically lunged for his blade. “I’m only willing to make this offer once… And if you make  _ any  _ comment about this, Inigo, I swear to Naga-”

“You’re offering your bed to me too?” Inigo’s face went slack in shock, his jaw hanging open ever so slightly. 

Severa ran her hands through her sheared hair and shifted upon the bed. “If I don’t, will you ever get any sleep? You’re gonna be useless on your feet tomorrow. So, come up here and sleep with me. Don’t make this a thing.”

“I would never,” Inigo said, clambering to his feet. He quickly grabbed Owain’s hand and dragged him up beside him. Owain instantly collapsed on one of her sides. She scooted to the edge of the bed to allow Inigo to lay beside Owain as well. Instantly, Owain ducked his head beneath her chin and threw his arm around Inigo’s waist. 

Neither said anything for a long moment besides wishing each other goodnight and ignoring how decidedly  _ strange  _ this was, but Severa knew she couldn’t go to sleep until his heartbeat levelled out. She took in the sight of her two closest friends. Sure, Severa could talk to Cynthia and Lucina, but both of them offered perspectives that made her blood boil and rush within her veins. She didn’t want someone to clash with her opinions every single day possible. 

The first to fall asleep was, surprisingly, Inigo. His breath became a quiet rhythm, a hum in the wind rather than a snore. It was hard to believe anyone could ever see a murderer in him. When he was asleep, he had a certain kind of innocent grace he never possessed awake. He was built as a dancer more than a fighter, a clear gift from his mother. The only thing binding him to his father was his snow white hair, now smashed up against the pillow. He’d have killer bedhead in the morning.

“I don’t care who your parents are,” Severa mumbled.

Owain shifted against her, and he huffed out a light laugh. “Friend, our dear dancer has drifted off into the realm of sleep already. We may speak of the falsehood of lineage in another day’s light, but we cannot speak of it tonight.”

“I mean the same to you,” she said after a second.

While she can’t see his face, she can picture his confused gaze. “My parents only bring joy to me.”

“I know. But… Our parents are both fucked up. I figure it’s only a matter of time.” Then again, she could never imagine Gaius and Lissa ever doing anything  _ wrong  _ by someone. And then again, she figured Robin would never do anything too drastic, but instead, he murdered someone in cold blood.

“Your parents aren’t… They’re not…” Owain struggled to find the words.

Severa shoved him away from her, and he instantly got pushed up against Inigo. Inigo made an incoherent mumble. Then, she gently reached into his hair and gently twined her fingers through his red locks. “Let’s not talk about it.”

She fell asleep in the silence, eyes gently fluttering shut. Owain, she presumed, quickly followed the two. She could always depend on him to be by their side, come hell or high water.

-

The next morning, the three of them set out to continue their adventures. Severa complained of the coarse sheets, Owain whined he had a crick in his neck from giving up his pillow, and Inigo moaned about how he was cold the entire night with the two hogging the blankets.

It was a wonder they stopped bickering long enough to hear the distant screams and see a plume of smoke rising in the distance. Owain didn’t wait a second before heading towards the battleground, cloak fluttering behind him in a majestic way… Not that Severa would ever admit it to him if he asked.

Severa growled and grabbed Inigo’s hands. He stared at her, stunned, and she scowled. “Look, I don’t want us to get split up as we chase after  _ that  _ idiot.”

“He’s an idiot under any name,” Inigo agreed quickly as both of them picked up the pace to follow behind Owain. Why would he charge recklessly in battle? Sure, he probably was the most gifted at being a swordsman. Sure, he trained more than either of them because Inigo preferred dancing,  _ though he refused to accept both of them knew about that,  _ and Severa kept getting pressured to pick up a beast in some form, whether it be a pegasus or a horse.

When they finally reached the small farming village, Owain already leapt into battle. His sword glinted in the morning light, orange dancing in the reflections. He chopped down Risen with surprising ease. Inigo and Severa both drew their own swords and quickly stepped to his side to protect him from the incoming enemies.

Owain cheered, and she could hardly believe this was the same boy who let the world break him last night. “The three of us, reunited through the pursuit of battle! Together, no foe can stand in our way! Even the most heinous villains will bow before our might.”

“Any sort of villain?” drawled Severa as she struck the nearest Risen, her sword cutting through his stomach. All of the Risen,  _ this time around,  _ were dressed as if they were farmers in another life. Dark smoke spilled out around the cut before its whole body went up in the plumes of dust. 

An amused smile twisted onto Inigo’s face. He easily dodged around one of the axes, movements nimble and agile. He leapt and landed on his toes, spinning and reaching out with his blade. The sword connected where a human’s heart would be. “So, we could defeat stage fright together?”

“Parental pressure,” threw out Severa.

Inigo laughed. “Missing parents.”

“Younger siblings surpassing you!” she shot back. The two of them made eye contact, shit-eating smirks clear upon their faces, before they turned to gauge Owain’s expression. He had his brow knitted together as he slew another one of the Risen. 

He shifted after a few seconds, the weight of their gazes too intense to ignore. “You take all the fun out of this.”

“You said any villain-”

“I meant  _ tangible  _ villain. In what word would you think philosophically?” groaned Owain. The villagers of the town started to join the fray, and while their conversation trickled to uproarious laughter between pants and wheezes, they were going to  _ win  _ this fight. More than anything else, Severa could throw her weight behind that belief. 

When the swarm of Risen finally halted, Inigo stumbled over the fence post and sat down on the ground. “Well, I need a  _ break.  _ For years.”

“One fight is all it takes to tire you out? Coward,” Severa said as she sat down beside him. 

Owain quickly took up vigil on the last side. He twisted his sword in the air, studying his reflection. Something caught his eye, and he quickly pulled at the sleeve. It didn’t quite  _ reveal  _ his Brand, but it came awfully close. “We have triumphed over evil once more. A  _ tangible  _ evil and  _ not  _ a metaphorical one.”

“Don’t be sore about that.” Inigo nudged him before trying to swallow down his amusement. “Then, we’d have to defeat the feeling of disappointing your friends.”

“I’m done with you!” Owain leapt across Severa’s lap, who  _ definitely did not yelp,  _ and collided with Inigo. As the two of them wrestled and cried out ridiculous insults, Severa noticed the leader of the village striding over. She just  _ oozed  _ authority and maternal instinct in the same way her mother always did. Even with the gray hair bound back in a ponytail, Severa thought the woman could go several rounds of fighting. 

She glanced at them. “What are you three youngins doing here?”

“We… We’re starting a new life,” Severa made up. “So we followed where the wind took us.”

Gawds, that came out as if she was  _ waxing poetry.  _ She spent way too much time with Owain. Glancing at the redhead out of the corner of her eye, she noted the boy hadn’t noticed.  _ Good.  _ If she would have been caught, she doubted she could live it down the entire time she stayed here in the village.

The woman nodded after a few seconds. “You lookin’ for work? I could use three hardy youngins as farmhands, even temporary. What did you say your names were?”

“Oh, uh… Eudes, Azur, and Serena.” She gestured at each of them when needed. 

A look of suspicion crossed her face, but just as quickly, she squashed down whatever the doubt may be. “Well, I welcome y’all to my farm.”

-

For the next two days, they toiled as farmhands. Each one took a different role under the leader’s guidance, doing whatever was best suited for them. Owain ended up chopping firewood for the woman, preparing for the early winter. He dragged them against the house and stacked them up to the sky. Inigo ended up repairing almost anything she needed, proving to think surprisingly well on his feet. He fixed a few spots in the fences and, with Owain’s guidance, helped with locks. 

And Severa wound up with animals. Because, you know, fate hated her and really thought she needed to spend time with reminders of her parents. She groomed the village mother’s single horse a few too many times, eagerly brushing through its mane and gently murmuring in its ear.

The village mother declared she intended to head into town for some celebration, but the three of them shouldn’t worry about anything. She cooked a feast of porridge and berries, and she laid out the table as if they were a family. The second the thought crossed her mind, she thought the others made the same connection. Severa looked away and glared at a spot in the wall as if it personally wronged her, Inigo nervously skipped from foot to foot, and Owain clenched his fists and tried to struggle through.

Instead of eating their dinner by their fake mother at the dining table, they grabbed the bowls and sat in the hallway. Each of them was  _ just  _ tall enough to place their feet up on the wall opposite of them, legs stretched across the wood. 

Severa sat furthest away from them. “Both of you stink. Honestly, go buy some perfume. I’d rather  _ die  _ than spend another moment in your presence.”

“You’re the one who pulled us from the castle,” reminded Inigo.

She gave him an astounded look. “No, I said  _ I  _ was running away. Owain joined because he’s an idiot with too many emotions. And you were a whiny baby.”

“Coming from the queen baby herself.” Inigo instantly wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Nope. That… That was a bad insult. I regret that.”

“Call her a soothsayer of whiners,” suggested Owain. 

Severa sighed in response. She never met more ridiculous people in her life. Why in the world did she choose to travel with them? 

Owain reached over and flicked her forehead. “Serena, your mind speaks its thoughts too clearly. What plagues you?”

“What was on that paper?” Severa reached up to play with the tips of her pigtails before freezing, her hand grasping at thin air. Then, she flattened it against her thigh. Right. She didn’t really have that to play with anymore. 

Cocking his head, Owain stared at her in wonder. “What paper piques your interest? What unsavory scroll, contemptuous tome?”

“The thing Inigo wrote the other night.” She purposefully flared out her cloak. Reaching for the pocket stitched into the fabric, she made a point of placing its contents on her lap.  _ She  _ only held coins and a scrap piece of paper reminding her of all the animals’ names. She didn’t hide secrets from her friends. 

Inigo knocked his heels together, energy obviously crackling off of him. “A will. I… I don’t think we’ll die on this journey, whatever this is, but one day, we will. And it might be soon.”

“Oh.” Severa lacked any words to voice the thoughts whirling in her head. She didn’t think it could be anything that  _ dark.  _ The worst corner her mind ventured to was a letter to his father. However, a will was a matter of something else entirely. Now that  _ he  _ had written one, she almost felt compelled to do the same. But who would she leave it to? Her mother? Her father?

Ha. They’d rather have tickets to Chrom’s funeral.

“I was there… When they rode back with Uncle Chrom,” whispered Owain, his voice lacking all of the mirth previously lingering in the air. She averted her gaze politely. “I… I dreamt of that. I thought he had turned into one of the Risen. That’s why I woke up screaming.”

Severa noticed them waiting for her to speak about dropping yet another  _ depressing  _ bomb in their words. She wrinkled her nose and threw up her hands. “What? I didn’t suffer from a dark, traumatic wound!”

“We’re depressing,” Inigo finally commented.

Severa nodded. “And I’m the least messed up… Wow. Who would have thought I’d see the day?”

“I certainly didn’t,” teased Owain. 

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Harsh.”

“But true,” said Inigo. He sighed, and with a bittersweet smile, he shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get a traumatic truth soon enough. We’re at war now.”

-

She saw Maribelle, Donnel, and Brady before they saw her. Swearing sharply, Severa ducked behind a tree. The man strode up to the village mother, instantly clasping her in a hug. “Ma! I’ve missed you!”

_ Ma?  _ Go figure. The one time she intended to escape the influence of the Shepherds, they quickly found her. Then, Severa noted a certain glint in the light. It shimmered gold, and Severa always admired Maribelle’s sense of fashion. She always donned the best jewelry, and she always wore the best dresses. So, Severa squinted her eyes to try and make it out.

_ Oh. _

In Maribelle’s hands, she gripped a familiar wedding ring… And it wasn’t the simple band on her own ring finger. Severa braved coming closer to make out the rest of the details. From the gem embedded in it to the gold outline, she knew the wedding ring very intimately. 

It was Cordelia’s… And there was only one reason Maribelle might have the ring.

Chrom was dead, so the sky started falling down.

And her parents died, so the world went down in fire. And this time, Severa doubted she could run far enough away to escape the burn. 

**Author's Note:**

> gosh I forgot how much I love this universe!! if you guys ever want me to write anything, i'd GLADLY take any suggestions
> 
> also i started this fic solely with the intention to cut Severa's hair, and it escalated into THIS mess of emotions


End file.
